Glenbrook South’s Nick Taylor crashed to the floor hard three or four times Tuesday at Lake Forest. The 6-7 junior was a force in the post in the Titans’ 62-57 victory against the Scouts.
The contact Taylor endured on his way to a hard-earned 25 points might hurt more in the morning than it did immediately after the victory.
‘‘I’m feeling great,’’ Taylor said. ‘‘I try to be as physical as I can and put in as much effort as possible.’’
Lake Forest (4-5) surprised the Titans (9-3) with a 1-3-1 defense, and it worked initially. But Glenbrook South adjusted, and Taylor took advantage of the small player in the back of the defense to score all 13 of the Titans’ points in the second quarter.
The post points were vital, given that Glenbrook South was 0-for-9 from three-point range in the first half and trailed by two at halftime.
‘‘I was pretty scared because Lake Forest had a decent lead at one point,’’ Taylor said. ‘‘I didn’t think the game was over, obviously, but I was a little worried when we were missing all of those shots.’’
The Titans were excellent from the free-throw line, finishing 20-for-22, and were 4-for-5 from three-point range in the second half.
‘‘We pride ourselves on our shooting,’’ Glenbrook South senior Gaven Marr said. ‘‘We were getting open looks in the first half, and they just weren’t falling. We came out confident in the second half.’’
Marr scored 19 points on 6-for-8 shooting. Junior Nate Kasher added 16 points for the Titans, all in the second half. Glenbrook South outrebounded Lake Forest 24-11.
The Titans were one of the best teams in the state last season and had the best season in school history. The stars of that team graduated, but most members of the rotation this season were on that squad.
‘‘It’s been a brand-new dynamic for everyone,’’ Marr said. ‘‘Role players from last year are stepping up and filling scoring roles. We are adjusting really well, but there is obviously room for improvement.’’
The early results have been promising. All three of Glenbrook South’s losses have been to ranked teams (New Trier, Rolling Meadows, Evanston), and two of them were close.
‘‘Obviously, we aren’t as talented as the last few years,’’ Titans coach Phil Ralston said. ‘‘But I’ll go to battle with this group any day of the week. This is one of the most enjoyable groups I’ve had. They are phenomenal kids, and they work hard. They want to learn and get better, and they have fun.”
Glenbrook South has quality victories against Oak Park, Stevenson and Crystal Lake South and should be an under-the-radar threat next week at the Jack Tosh Holiday Classic at York.
‘‘We can be just as good as last year’s team,’’ Marr said. ‘‘We’ve taken some close losses early on, but those were games where we still didn’t play very well. If we keep improving, I think we can fulfill our destiny and do what we couldn’t do last year.’’
Clemson recruit Asa Thomas led Lake Forest with 26 points, and junior Tommie Aberle added 15. Thomas injured his ankle after making a long three-pointer in the final seconds and was helped off the court by his teammates.
Both teams are off until the Jack Tosh, which starts Monday.
